MWEB, a South African Internet service provider, has created two short YouTube videos to explain how 1) ADSL works in South Africa and 2) how the Internet works. The animated and voiced-over videos are simple but effectively explain how international data arrives at a computer via the World Wide Web. Ultimately, the goal of these videos is to prevent us from taking the Internet for granted.

Essentially:

1. Local loop = copper line running to local telco exchange
2. Telco exchange directs to telco network
3. the edge service router (ESP) confirms the customer is indeed allowed on the network
4. the Internet Protocol Connect (IPC) link is then opened
5. access to undersea fibre optic cable then provides the WWW to the user

The second video, found at MWEB’s YouTube channel, explains the basics of a network, servers, browsers, URLs, ways to get online, and popular online topics.